Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey JournalPort Authority Police say there have been five reported bike thefts or attempted bike thefts at the Journal Square PATH station this week.

Bicycle thefts at the Journal Square PATH station are becoming “an issue,” according to Port Authority Police, which says there have been as many as five reported bike thefts or attempted bike thefts this week alone.

Port Authority Police spokesman Al Della Fave said police have arrested four men this week after cops said they caught the men attempting to steal bikes from the rack near the escalators at the PATH station.

There was a fifth reported possible bike theft, but police weren’t notified until two hours later, Della Fave said.

To help combat the problem, police plan to start a bike registration program that will allow bike owners to register their bikes with authorities, who will then have a record of the bicycle that would help them if it is stolen and recovered, Della Fave said.

“We’re taking it seriously,” he said.

Among those arrested this week are Miguel A. DeJesus, 43, of Union City, who cops say pulled out cable cutters to remove a bike from the rack at Journal Square; Edward L. Nettles, 36, of Jersey City, who cops say they observed attempted to cut a security cable attacking a bicycle to the rack; Javier Cartegena, 35, of Union City; and Darnell Ford, 44, of Jersey City, who cops say they saw attempting to remove a tire from a bicycle.

Della Fave noted the ages of the four men.

“These are not kids we’re talking about,” he said.

Della Fave added that, according to police reports, some of the men expressed shame when the cops nabbed them.

“Why did I do that?” Cartegena asked upon his arrest, according to Della Fave.

Brian Wagner, of Bike Hoboken, said bike riders can absolutely control whether or not their bicycles are stolen. Don’t assume a “simple cable lock” will dissuade thieves, Wagner told The Jersey Journal.

“These would-be thieves have cutting tools,” he said. “It’s very easy to cut some of these cable locks … some are so thin they’re like a wire on a lamp.”

Bike HobokenBikes photographed by Bike Hoboken on its Facebook page. The group writes, "Two bikes locked up with flimsy cable locks. The wheels are not secured, the saddles are not secured. This is a thieves 2 for 1 special."

Wagner, who has had two bikes stolen in recent years, has posted pictures of locked bikes on Bike Hoboken’s Facebook page, along with comments critiquing the owners’ locking techniques.

There are a variety of ways to keep your bike from getting stolen, he said, but one of the best is using a combination of a cable lock and a U- or D-shaped lock, intertwined in a way that causes a thief to move along.

“Make him look at this bike and say ... this will take me too long,” Wagner said.